Legendary England seamer James Anderson finally had his first wicket of the ongoing 4th Ashes 2023 Test, at Old Trafford, in Manchester, after he had toiled hard for 17 wicketless overs.
James Anderson struck with the wicket of Australian skipper Pat Cummins on day 2 of the Manchester Test, bringing Australia to 9 down in their first innings for 299 after the England captain Ben Stokes had inserted the visitors in after winning the toss.
At the start of Day 2, Pat Cummins and Australia would have hoped that their skipper could bat alongside Mitchell Starc to add to their Day 1 total of 299/8. However, Cummins succumbed to a full length delivery outside the off-stump from James Anderson, handing a direct catch to England captain Ben Stokes at point.
Seeing the width on offer from Anderson on the first ball of Day 2, Cummins threw his hands at it, aiming for the off-side boundary. However, the right-hander didn’t get good connection on it, managing only a splice of his bat and the ball popped up in the air, straight to Ben Stokes, who dived forward and completed the catch at cover point.
While James Anderson had a smirk on his face, acknowledging his first wicket of the Test after he’d bowled superbly on Day 1 for 17 wicketless overs, Ben Stokes had a beaming smile and he pointed both his index fingers toward Anderson.
Watch: James Anderson starts Day 2 with the wicket of Pat Cummins on the first ball
First ball… WICKET!😱
Jimmy Anderson strikes with his very first delivery of the day 👏 #EnglandCricket | #Ashes pic.twitter.com/OL5l0ll6pj
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) July 20, 2023
With plenty of rain expected on Day 4 and 5, England would want to reduce this match to effectively a 3-innings contest. The toss went their way and they have bowled well, even as Australia scored over 300 runs for now in their first innings.
England’s aim would be bat big and post a massive total in their first innings, taking a big lead, and then bowl Australia out in their second innings to level the series 2-2. Should the match end in a draw, Australia will retain the Ashes urn, though the series will be alive till the 5th Test.
